A lightweight clash pitting
Justin
Gaethje against
Rafael
Fiziev
has been targeted for
UFC
286.
Promotion broadcast partner
ESPN reported on Saturday that the bout has nearly been
finalized. UFC 286 takes place at the O2 Arena in London on March
18. A headliner for the event has not been confirmed, but it is
rumored to be a welterweight championship trilogy between
Leon
Edwards and
Kamaru
Usman.
Gaethje will be making his first appearance since suffering a
first-round submission loss to
Charles
Oliveira in a 155-pound title tilt at UFC 274 last May. The
former World Series of Fighting champ is 6-4 in the Las Vegas-based
promotion, with victories over the likes of
Michael
Chandler,
Tony
Ferguson,
Donald
Cerrone and
Edson
Barboza.
The 29-year-old Fiziev has compiled a six-bout Octagon winning
streak to establish himself as one of the rising contenders in the
lightweight division. Most recently, the Tiger Muay Thai standout
scored a fifth-round KO victory over
Rafael dos
Anjos at UFC ON ESPN 39 in July.